1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a developer cartridge for supplying a developer to a developer receiving unit of an image formation apparatus, such as an electrophotographic apparatus, which forms electrostatic latent images and develops them with a dry developer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A developer cartridge which is loaded into a developer receiving unit of an image formation apparatus in order to supply developer thereto, and which is unloaded from the developer receiving unit after the developer is supplied thereto, is well known.
Some developer cartridges are provided with sliding lids which open/close a developer discharge opening disposed on the main body of the cartridge. The sliding lid is opened to supply the developer to the developer receiving unit. Thereafter, the discharge opening is closed by the sliding lid, and then the cartridge is unloaded from the developer receiving unit.
If the cartridge is bumped when it is being unloaded from the developer receiving unit, the impact may cause the sliding lid to be displaced from the position where the discharge opening is closed, and the cartridge may be unloaded from the developer receiving unit while it is not completely closed.
In such a case, a small amount of developer remaining in the main body of the cartridge may spill out, soiling the clothes of the operator, the image formation apparatus or the like.
Such an accident is more likely to occur in a cartridge which the direction the sliding lid moves to open the discharge opening of the developer, is the same as that in which it is moved to remove the cartridge from the developer receiving unit.
This may also occur when the cartridge is erroneously unloaded from the developer receiving unit when the sliding lid is not moved to the position where the developer discharge opening is completely closed.